


Catching Madness

by Sharo



Series: Shorts and Prompts [5]
Category: Hermitcraft, Minecraft - Fandom
Genre: Chasing, Gen, Horror, Hurt No Comfort, Murder, Non-Permanent Character Death, Possible Insanity, Prompt Fic, Psychological Horror, Rules and Consequences, Stalking, Torture, the upsidedown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27050548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharo/pseuds/Sharo
Summary: “I’ve rather become addicted to your death, Scar.”
Series: Shorts and Prompts [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1969378
Comments: 13
Kudos: 51





	Catching Madness

The nether may be his favorite space now. The colors, the ambiance, the new music. It was easy to get lost in the dark feel of the new biomes, the low fires, the cries and grunts of the mobs around him. The panting whines of the man that ran ahead of him. 

The UpsideDown was a brilliant idea. Flip the world upside down, and create new builds and challenges to literally turn them around. He loved the barrier Bdubs had created, that announced the entry as its own special area. Like a theme park, but more mysterious. Darker, twisted. With its own set of order and restrictions. And punishments for those who didn’t follow them.

Because what fun was turning everything upside down if there weren’t equally topsy-turvy rules?

He skirted a lava lake, wishing for a brief moment that he could see his reflection in it as he passed. The white tops of his shoes should almost glow in the dim light, like some kind of Herobrine-enderman eyes at the top of his head as he ran. It had taken the better part of a day to get the new skin right; from the sacrifice of one of his sweaters to bare his shoulders, and carving up one of his player-heads to fit over his shoes correctly. The effect was disturbing, and stunning, if he did say so. 

Not that his mark seemed to care. But he wouldn’t escape the barrier around the Upside!Down, not until he gave in and obeyed the rules. Until then, he was fair game.

Was  _ prey _ .

As fun as it had been to trap him in a glass cage, and drop him over and over again into a pit of hoglins, it was so much more satisfying to let him loose in the larger arena and stalk him. The gaudy suit blended into absolutely nothing, making it easy to spot him even if he got distracted and looked away to check his surroundings. A ghast wailed in the distance, and the fireball drew his attention back to the sandy hair ducking into another crimson forest. 

Almost there. His netherite sword was warm in his hand as a single rocket launched him up and over the steaming trees, landing easily in front of the desperate runner as he twisted to hit the fireball back.

He laughed as Scar ran into him, head turned eerily around as he watched the ghast explode in midair.

“You’re supposed to be upside down, Scar. Not have your head on backwards.”

“Gr-Grian! Heh eh.. I didn’t see you there, buddy.” His armor was a mess, one elytra strap almost falling off his shoulder and cracks running through his golden helmet. His eyes wouldn’t (couldn’t) meet his, flicking over his skin and skittering around the blood red biome. “Um, you wouldn’t happen to know how to, uh, get back to the main hub, w-would you?” Scar tripped over his words, out of fear or exhaustion, he couldn’t tell.

It didn’t really matter. His sword tip rested at Scar’s throat, just above the red bowtie. “If you needed help with the skin, you should have just said so. Instead, you’ve broken one of the rules of the UpsideDown. And we can’t have that.”

“Ah-ha, yeah, um…” Scar swallowed, eyes nearly crossed as the dark sword held steady. “I’m, uh. Kinda hungry?” He tried looking up and got flustered all over again when his eyes didn’t find his. “Maybe we could hit the shopping district, grab something to eat?”

He was stalling. For what, though? Time? Regeneration? Maybe it would be a good idea to take this somewhere more...private.

“There’s no way out of the UpsideDown for traitors, Scar. You have to face the music first.”

Scar grasped onto that like a lifeline. “Oh! Like the new nether disc? Have you found one? I’ve heard nothing but good things about the new-”

“You’ve disrespected the rules. Rules you  _ agreed _ to follow.” He ignored the snort of a piglin behind him, keeping only an ear out for hoglin growls. “You should take your punishment without fighting.” A tiny movement of the sword and the red tie fluttered into Scar’s lap.

Scar seemed to have finally caught his breath back from the long run. “Pun-punishment?” He let out a small, nearly hysterical giggle. “Well, if my ‘welcome’ to the UpsideDown was a dozen deaths, does that mean I’m in for a nice candlelit dinner?”

He let his smile answer for him. “We’ve been running in circles, you’re almost back to the mansion. Why don’t you join me in the newest wing?” 

“I’d um, really rather not?” Scar was staring at the sword again, as it drew patterns in the air and traced the patterns of his sash and badge mere pixels away from his chest. “I have, uh, I mean, I really should.” he broke off to suck in his stomach as the sword tip dipped towards his stomach. “I need to feed Jellie. I should, I should...go?”

His sword flicked sideways, slicing through the loose elytra strap. “Or maybe you should stay.” He tilted his head, grinning when Scar shuddered and looked away again. “On your feet, Mister Mayor.” Another twist of his sword and the elytra fell to the ground, useless. Scar, of course, managed to trip over it twice in his bumbling attempt to stand.

“I kind of, I mean. I needed that? To get back to the mansion?” Scar stumbled back from him as he advanced, closer to the edge of the outcropping they stood on.

“Ah, but I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided that I don’t want to wait for your punishment.”

Had anyone ever told Scar how adorable he was when he was confused? His face scrunched up and lower lip came out in an almost pout. “Grian? This isn’t- are you okay? You’re not, I mean, I don’t.”

He pulled back the sword, leaning closer to Scar. Who still couldn’t figure out where to look to meet his eyes.

“ _ Burn. _ ”

It only took a little push to knock Scar off balance, and filled him with glee when the man windmilled comically before falling backwards over the edge. He followed him barely a tick later, switching out his sword for an unenchanted bow. He coasted and aimed, the ding from his comm notifying him of a good hit just before Scar hit the lava ocean screaming.

He landed on soul sand about twenty blocks from where Scar floated up, gasping for air and holding his shoulder, the arrow burning away.

“Are you  _ trying _ to kill me, Gri? Geeze, I almost had a heart attack there.” Scar squinted at him through the heat haze, breathing heavy after his panic. “I mean, thanks for the fire resist, but it’s only got a couple of seconds on it?”

He smiled and aimed his bow again. The shot was a little short, the tipped arrow disappearing in the lava as Scar crawled slowly through the thick burning liquid. Scar was wide-eyed as he adjusted his aim and released the next, hands coming up to protect his face. The arrow punched through his hand, scraping his forehead before it stopped.

“Grian! Stop, that hurts!” He cradled his hand, tears slipping and evaporating from his cheeks before they fell.

Did he want to stop? There was punishment to mete out,  _ someone _ had to hold the citizens of the UpsideDown accountable for their actions. He lowered the bow, considered the rule-breaker who was once again struggling towards him, a little more slowly this time, fighting with his injuries to make it out of the lava before the fire resist wore off. Scar was his  _ friend _ , right?

Eight seconds left on that dose. But Scar was relaxing again, still twelve blocks out from safety, seemingly satisfied that he had survived.

No. There could be no rule-breakers in the UpsideDown. Scar had to be punished, had to  _ know _ that he couldn’t get around it.

He raised the bow again, waiting.

Scar hesitated where he shouldn’t have, still too far away from land. He could tell the moment the potion effect wore off, steam billowing up as the heat hit him. And then he was screaming as the lava hit him. 

Another arrow hit Scar in the chest, pinning his sash in place as he curled around the newest pain. Flames licked around him, but no longer touched him.

“Grian, why?” his voice barely carried over the popping of the lava ocean.

It wouldn’t be long now. Damage from the arrows along with the lava should already have Scar down to only a couple of hearts. The next tipped arrow whistled past and fizzled in the lava. But he deserved an answer, almost to the soul sandbar now. He stepped forward, setting his boot gently on Scar’s hand as he reached for the solid block. Half of his own face stared up at them.

“I’ve rather become addicted to your death, Scar.” Five seconds. “Welcome to the UpsideDown.”

Scar was trapped in place as the arrow potion wore off again. He bit his tongue but couldn’t hold back the scream as the burning heat hit him again. A couple of ticks and his eyes rolled back, body following into the lava. Grian’s arrow followed him, sinking into the burning remains of his stomach before his body dissolved into xp and burning items.

<Scar tried to swim in lava to escape Grian>

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from YasminTheSpiritSinger, who wanted a horror story with Grian chasing someone.


End file.
